


The Stargazer and the Seafarer

by kedriaa



Series: DETW [3]
Category: Gundam Wing
Genre: M/M, Romance, Shounen-ai
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2003-07-09
Updated: 2003-07-09
Packaged: 2018-01-09 15:47:51
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,241
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1147791
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kedriaa/pseuds/kedriaa
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>DETW Prequel. In the sleepy quiet colony of Macao, a young stargazer befriends a wayward seafarer, only to find a kindred spirit in him.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Stargazer and the Seafarer

**The Portuguese Colony of Macao  
Summer, 1839**

"Trowa?"

A gangly sixteen-year-old boy quickly mounted the sideboard and climbed onto the rafters. Moments later, his sister stormed into the room with a thundercloud over her head.

"Trowa! When I get my hands on you, I'm going to castrate you!" Catherine growled, looking around the room. Trowa fervently prayed that she wouldn't look up. Then she muttered sardonically, "Wouldn't that make your love life more simple if I did?"

With that she left the room and continued her search for her wayward brother. Trowa prudently waited for a few more minutes before descending, then rapidly fleeing the hotel by way of the kitchen backdoor.

It was a beautiful morning. The sky was sparsely dappled and the rising sun had stained the horizon a healthy pink. The warm sea breeze took the chill of dawn away. It was the kind of day that requested, no, demanded that Trowa spent basking in it. It was the kind of day which all young boys should spend carousing idly.

It was also Saturday, and that meant that it was his day to help out in the hotel. That was the reason why Catherine had been on a warpath looking for him. Shirking his responsibility wasn't something Trowa did very often. However, he had been studying hard all semester and it was the first day of his summer holidays, he felt that he deserved a break.

In addition to that, irritating Catherine was reason enough to play truant.

Trowa rushed across the courtyard as silently and stealthily as possible and ducked out into the street. Without looking back, he broke out into a joyous run and headed off towards the market square.

When he arrived, most of the produce stalls were already on display. Fresh vegetables and brightly coloured fruits dotted the makeshift aisle. It was evident that a number of people woke early to partake in this weekly ritual. Vendors were crying out their wares, while patrons were scrutinizing the quality of their potential purchases. The haggling that took place between them was an art from in itself. Trowa often found it fascinating.

The slender youth ambled past the fruit and vegetable stalls towards the livestock quarter of the market. Fishermen were hauling their bountiful catch from the wharf. Large cages of poultry and some more exotic local game lined the stalls and it was pandemonium. 

It was natural for an animal to make noise even more so when your cellmate was quite literally upon you. The cages were always this crowded this early in the morning, but Trowa knew that their numbers would half within the next two hours. 

About a hundred yards away from the cacophony stood the hawker food stalls. This was his ultimate destination. Only a handful of stalls were ready for business, as it was this handful that served the best breakfast foods on this colony. From pork buns to fish ball vermicelli, from shrimp dumplings to steamed glutinous rice, Trowa was often spoiled for choice.

["Ah, good morning, Trowa!"] The hawker to the vermicelli stall greeted him warmly.

["Good morning, Master Wong,"] the youth replied. ["How are you and your family?"]

["Very well, thank you. And your sister?"]

["Also well, thank you."]

["Good, good! Would you like your usual?"]

Trowa nodded lightly and offered the man a small smile and payment. The vermicelli he served was by far Trowa's favourite. Master Wong laughed merrily and began his cooking while Trowa moved on to the other stalls to purchase some appetisers.

Trowa moved to his favourite seat to enjoy his sumptuous breakfast and the fascinating comings and goings of the commercial quay not too far away. Catherine has often accused him of being perverse for eyeing up the sailors that came ashore. Trowa allowed her to continue her teasing simply because there were other ways in which he could even the score.

In truth, he found the large burly sailors rather uncouth and boorish, while the merchants that came with them were arrogant and deceitful opportunist. In addition to that, they were all far too old for his liking. He watched them because they were probably the most interesting, ever-changing entities that graced the sleepy colony. Moreover, Trowa had always had a penchant for learning about the world beyond the shores of Macao and there was only so much one can get out of one's books.

The quay was unusually busy that Saturday morning, more than likely due to the large Jardine Matheson ship, the Kroesus, which had arrived early that morning. Trowa had noted in the past that Jardine Matheson ships tend to be the rowdiest of the lot that docked; perhaps because they were always fairly sizeable, requiring a large number of crew to run. Trowa also noted that whenever there were two or more sailors in the vicinity, the general volume of the surroundings naturally ten-fold.

That was perhaps why Trowa was merely content to watch their amusing antics from afar. He watched as a group of half a dozen sailors disembarked and headed away from the quay. Most of them were fairly well dressed. In addition to the fact that they weren't busy working on and around the ship, indicated that they were officers of some rank. Trowa also recognised the captain and the first mate of the Kroesus for they frequented their hotel. He surmised that they were either headed to the hotel or to town to garner another business agreement.

Interestingly enough, the centre of their attention was not the Captain. Instead, it was a figure of a slim stature with a long swinging braid. Trowa craned his neck to get a better view of the odd group. He knew that traditionally women and girls hardly sailed on merchant ships. Moreover, the ridiculous notion that members of the female persuasion often jinxed the ship still ran abound among certain circles of seafarers.

Curiosity peaked; the young Macanese was sorely tempted to investigate the unusual party. However, duty called. In fact, duty had been calling since dawn, and if he continued to delay, he was certain that Catherine was sure to make true her threat to castrate him, mainly because of the presence of the Captain of the Kroesus.

The Captain was a loud-mouthed, arrogant, lecherous, immoral cur. Trowa didn't like him, neither did Catherine, but he and his crew were good for business. The brunet youth highly suspected that the Captain patronised their hotel because of Catherine.

He finished the last of his dumplings and hastened to return to the Boa Vista. When he arrived home, he found several carriages pulling away from the fore courtyard. Evidently their guest had beaten him to the hotel. He was now certain that Catherine was going to do something unpleasant to him. Steeling his nerves, he marched towards the lobby.

"Trowa!" an urgent whisper came from a nearby bougainvillea bush. It was Catherine.

Hastily, the youth ducked out of sight to join his sister. "You're hiding."

"Oh, really? I hadn't noticed," she replied sarcastically.

"Do you want me to deal with them?" Trowa offered magnanimously.

"You owe me that much for running out on me this morning!" she growled.

"If I do this, we're even?"

"You calculating little sneak! Fine!"

"Excellent," he replied with a satisfied smirk and stood to leave. "You do realised you can't avoid them forever. They're likely to be here for two weeks, as per usual."

"I can certainly try!" the fiery redhead proclaimed indignantly.

Trowa gave her a small, amused smile before strolling into the lobby with calm confidence.

"Good afternoon, gentlemen," he said with a winsome smile. "Welcome back. As always my sister and I are grateful for your continued patronage."

"Aye, lad," the Captain said with his distinct Scottish brogue, slapping Trowa hard on his back. "Tis always good t'be here. Now tell me where that fine lass of ye sister be."

"I'm afraid Catherine is indisposed, Captain. You understand that she has great responsibility to the administration of this fine establishment. I'm afraid duty often keeps her away from the forefront of our hotel." Trowa was mildly impressed by his own verbosity. It was not in Trowa's nature to speak so floridly but since he could not intimidate the Captain with his lean physique, he would confound him with the immensity of his words.

"Aye, of course, that bonny lass is certainly something."

"Indeed," Trowa dipped his head lightly, "Can I show you, gentlemen, to your rooms?"

"No need, lad, we know our way," the Captain boomed then slapped the brunet in the back again, making him stumble slightly.

As the Captain's party moved away, Trowa searched the group for the mysterious longhaired figure, his curiosity peaking again. He spotted the swinging braid disappear around the corner but did not manage to catch a proper glimpse of its owner. So instead he turned to Min, their receptionist, and asked for the guest register.

To his disappointment, the Captain merely wrote 'Kroesus - 6' without disclosing any of his crews' names. In retrospect, Trowa wasn't too surprised, suspecting that the only reason the Captain could write his ship's name was due to the fact that it was emblazoned on the side of it. He also noticed that they were to stay for a month instead of their usual fortnight.

He thanked Min and decided he had better get back to work. In addition to his own chores, he would undoubtedly have to do some of Catherine's if she stubbornly remained in seclusion. The Kroesus crew was probably the most demanding of patrons that they have had the misfortune of having. Most merchant crews tend to take accommodation nearer town. There were far more nocturnal activities available there than the sleepy outskirts that surrounded the Boa Vista.

It was going to be a long month.

~*~

Trowa had risen early to help out with the laundry the next morning. Fortunately, that morning's task did not include the actual washing, just the 'putting away'. He loaded the trolley with the freshly pressed white bed sheets and fluffy white towels and headed towards the linen cupboards.

As the entered the storage room, he realised that someone else was in there, lurking behind some freestanding shelves.

"You might as well come out, I know you're there," he said casually as moved to the cupboards. "Did you know you're supposed to be in here?"

The figure emerged and Trowa was surprised to find that it was the elusive braided youth he had been trying to glimpse. It was almost as if someone had punched him in the gut, for he felt quite literally winded by the vision before him. Trowa fervently hoped that he wasn't blushing or gaping or drooling.

"I'm sorry," the youth replied, his rich contralto was very pleasing. "I didn't mean to trespass. Sometimes a lad just needs a place t'hide, y'know."

"Whom are you hiding from?"

"Who else but Captain Rowdy and his merry men? And I don't mean merry in the happy sense." Intense violet eyes rolled to the heavens in exasperation. "They can't seem to take no for an answer."

Trowa frowned in distaste, his imagination hurriedly conjuring the worst of situations that involved blackmail, abduction and non-consensual sex.

"Oh, hey! It's not what you're thinking!" the youth quickly said, no doubt noticing the expression on Trowa's face. Before he could continue, the sound of raucous laughter echoed down the hallway, interrupting them. "They're coming down here!" The youth swore. "Is there another way out?"

"No." Trowa shook his head. Calmly, he opened the large linen cupboard and gestured into it. "Get in there."

"What?"

"Just get in," Trowa repeated himself, "If I can fit, you can fit."

The youth argued no more when the footsteps drew ominously closer. He quickly folded himself into the lowest shelf of the linen cupboard. Trowa then hastily stuffed some sheets into the same shelf, manoeuvred the trolley directly in front and continued to unload more linen into the higher shelves in the cupboard.

"Hey, laddie!" the Captain called out and sauntered up to Trowa. "You seen one of me crew around here? A young lad much like yerself, pretty little thing with a rope of dark hair."

"Guests should not be in this area, Captain," Trowa replied evasively. "If there was something you require, feel free to request for it at the front desk."

"Ah, no then?" the Captain interpreted as the Macanese youth hoped he would. "How about that bonny sister of yours?"

"I'm afraid Catherine is still indisposed."

"Oy, ye people work too hard!" the Captain muttered and left the storage room with the rest of his cronies in tow, much to Trowa's relief. Even in this early hour he could smell alcohol upon them. No doubt he and his crew were out all night drinking.

Trowa waited a few moments before moving the trolley aside. The hidden youth tumbled out of the cupboard unceremoniously with a scowl on his face.

"Pretty?" he exclaimed indignantly as he moved to stand. "I'll show him pretty, the self-centred, arrogant prick!"

Trowa could not hold back the smile. The Captain had been wrong, the braided youth before him was by no means pretty; he was beautiful.

"Well, you should be safe now. I would stay out of this wing though. Not all the employees here will be as accommodating."

"Why were you then?"

"I can't be fired for breaking rules."

"Why not?"

"My sister and I own the place."

"Huh, I seem to always fall in with authority figures no matter what I do. I guess I'd better behave then." The youth gave Trowa a charismatic grin then extended his hand, "I'm Duo Maxwell, might I know the name of my rescuer?"

"Trowa Barton." Trowa took his hand and found Duo had a firm and sturdy grip.

"Thanks for you help, Trowa. I'll see you around," Duo said with a wink before slinking out of the storage room to find another hiding place.

~*~

Trowa was mildly surprised that he had managed to function somewhat sufficiently until the evening. His concentration had clearly been shattered the moment he laid eyes on the charismatic Duo Maxwell. He was simply grateful that he didn't come across the gorgeous youth again. No doubt Duo found a good place to hide from the Captain.

Once he had finished all his chores, and some of Catherine's, for the day, he headed back to their private bungalow on the southeastern part of the hotel estate. This area was strictly out of bounds and all members of staff knew better than to trespass. Only a selected few were given the grace to impede on their private lives in an emergency.

As much as he loved the Boa Vista, Trowa was grateful that Catherine had kept true to that rule. He wanted their private lives to remain private.

"Cathy?" he called out as he entered the bungalow.

"In the kitchen!" she replied distantly.

Slipping his shoes off, Trowa headed to the kitchen, fervently hoping that Catherine was preparing dinner. He had been so distracted all day; he had neglected to have lunch.

As he neared the kitchen, the sound of laughter drifted out and it was evident that Catherine was not alone. Knowing his sister was almost as much as a social recluse as he was, Trowa was surprised to find she had a guest, furthermore, one that was staying for dinner.

As he rounded the corner, it took every ounce of self-restraint to maintain a stoic expression to avoid embarrassing himself. As fate would have it, his sister's guest was none other than the object of his uncharacteristic distraction.

"You're rather late," Catherine said, "I almost thought you weren't coming home for dinner."

Trowa allowed himself a little frown. "If I hadn't been running around doing your chores as well, I wouldn't be!"

"You can snipe at me later, Trowa. We have guest. I hear you've already met?"

"Hullo, tis nice to see you again," Duo's gorgeous face lit up into a brilliant smile. Trowa notice a slight Irish lilt to his speech.

"And you," the Macanese youth replied as evenly as he could. "I gather the Captain didn't manage to hunt you down?"

"Actually he did, tis a long story. I'll tell you at dinner."

"And speaking of which," Catherine interrupted, "Why don't you go wash up, Trowa? Dinner will be in twenty minutes."

Mutely, Trowa nodded and fled the kitchen in a pace as dignified as he could muster. He was certain that Catherine was giggling at him. His sister's acumen towards him was astounding and there was no doubt that she would've guessed, if not known, his attraction towards the Irish youth. Trowa promised himself, that if Catherine was going to start with the teasing, he was going to leave her to the tender mercies of 'Captain Rowdy and his merry men'.

Dinner was scrumptious. Catherine had always been a fabulous cook. Coupled with the fantastic company, Trowa did not remember having such an enjoyable evening. 

It turned out that Duo had ducked into Catherine's office when he was fleeing from the Captain. Unfortunately for Duo, Catherine was in there at that time. Needing some paperwork, she had paid a quick visit to her office. Catherine did not take lightly to the intrusion, especially not from a member of the Kroesus crew.

The fiery redhead unwittingly raised her voice, questioning Duo's audacity in intruding, which in turn led the Captain to her office. Cornered, Duo and Catherine did a lot of fast taking to get away from him.

Fortune favoured them that day. Knowing the Captain would not miss an opportunity to get drunk and mingle with more willing ladies, Duo fabricated some event that was to take place in the heart of town which the Captain and the rest of the crew should not miss. Catherine, following Duo's lead, named a random establishment that could provide both drink and company in the seedier part of town.

Duo was inadvertently dragged along to this imaginary party. He however, returned alone an hour later, citing that he made arrangements with the proprietor of the named establishment to keep the Captain and his crew busy. The proprietor was paid handsomely from the Captain's own purse, which Duo had filched earlier.

Catherine, thoroughly impressed by Duo's ingenuity and grateful for this assistance, offered him a save haven at their bungalow if he needed it. Naturally, Duo accepted; he got along very well with the redhead. Trowa wasn't entire sure if he should thank his sister or throttle her.

There was no denying he found Duo incredibly attractive and interesting, he simply did not feel comfortable with Duo being around him. He would rather admire from afar.

"Don't worry about that, Trowa," Catherine said as he rose to clear the table after dinner. "Why don't you boys head down to the beach? It's a beautiful night and you've both been hard at work all day. I'll clean this up."

At that generous offer, the Macanese youth knew for certain that his sister was trying to play matchmaker again. If Catherine had her way and if he had been interested in girls, he would probably have been married by now!

Even though he was rather miffed by Catherine's presumption, a wild surge of hope flared in his belly. Did her matchmaking attempts imply that Duo could also be interested?

"Are you sure?" Duo asked, piling up the empty plates. "I don't mind helping."

"Isn't he sweet?" Catherine said to Trowa, "You would do well to learn from him, baby brother." She then turned to Duo. "I'm sure. You boys go ahead."

"Catherine is never this generous, Duo, we should take advantage of it." Trowa smiled then moved to the door and held it open for his guest.

"Well, I'll not argue with the hosts."

The Boa Vista Hotel had a strip of private beach that rolled into the crystalline waters of the Grande Praia Bay. Spanning about a quarter of a mile, patrons of the hotel could often be seen wading and sunbathing upon the beach. However, when evenings came, the sandy stretch was abandoned to the glittering stars and the infinite waves.

Trowa led Duo to a more secluded part of the shore, which was quite literally the back yard of the bungalow. A wooden path from the hotel led to a small jetty that marked the boundary of where the restricted part of the beach began. The jetty had been used on rare occasion to make deliveries. On one side of it, lay a small outcrop of rocks. Just beyond that was a small strip of white sand that shone in the luminescent moonlight.

"Wow..." Duo breathed, as he scrambled over the last of the outcrop.

"It is nice." Trowa smiled coyly at the other youth. This was by far his favourite place to be. He had often come here to stargaze, pondering the mysteries of the stars and dreaming of the adventures that lay beyond his shore.

"Nice? It's more than nice! I've not seen such beauty."

 _Have you looked in the mirror lately?_ Trowa thought to himself, thankful that he didn't voice it.

"I'm glad you like it." Trowa moved to sit upon the sand. "Not many people know about this and we make it a point not to tell the patrons. Call it selfish, but we'd prefer to keep it to ourselves."

"I didnae blame you," Duo replied, the hint of the Irish brogue surfaced again.

"You're Irish?"

"Ach! My most shameful secret exposed!" he cried with exaggeration and an impish smile, then continued with a thicker brogue, "Ya mustn't tell, y'know. Tis bad for a lad's reputation!"

Trowa chuckled at the comical antics of the Irish. "Don't worry, your secret is safe with me. I was just wondering why you don't have an Irish name."

Duo smirked. "What were you expecting? Paddy?"

"Paddy?" Trowa eyed Duo cheekily. "Hmm, yeah, Paddy is good."

"Yer not serious?" He exclaimed, quirking an eyebrow at the Macanese youth.

Trowa said nothing. Instead, he stood and approached the shoreline testing out the water. "Can you swim, Paddy?"

Sniggering, Duo asked, "Yer asking if a sailor can swim?"

At that Trowa laughed at himself. He said nothing more, proceeding to strip off his top then wading into the sun-warmed water. Taking a few strokes into the bay, he turned and beckoned to Duo.

The braided Irish shrugged and followed suit. As he, too, stripped off his top, Trowa took the opportunity to appreciate and admire the sculptured torso. Evidently, manual labour had award Duo a well-toned physique.

They spent the next hour or so carousing around in the water. It came as no surprise to Trowa that Duo was an excellent swimmer. Trowa could just about keep up.

Eventually, they retired back to the beach to stargaze.

Trowa wasn't certain how long they laid there in silence, but he was very aware of the avatar of splendour next to him. He was sorely tempted to lie on his side to do some Duo-gazing instead. Trowa was far too reserved to engage in such bold moves.

"Amazing, aren't they?" Duo eventually whispered.

"What is?"

"The stars. They're the candle in the window for us sailors, when compass and sextants fail, we look to them to lead us home."

"I never saw them in that light."

"Non-seafaring people generally don't. We all see things differently."

"Indeed." Trowa smiled to himself, then snuck a peek at the Irish. "What made you a seafarer?"

"Necessity." Duo turned to peer into Trowa's malachite eyes. He gave Trowa a beguiling smile and added in a husky whisper, "That and to meet Eastern exotic beauties."

Trowa could feel his face lighting up like a beacon, but he lacked the will power to look away from those mesmerising indigo orbs. The heat began rising between them and Trowa was certain that the remnant seawater that clung onto him was going up in steam.

Then without warning, Duo leapt to his feet crying out in surprise. His hands flew to his braid, fingers frantically messing it up. He began swearing. 

"Paddy, what's wrong?" Trowa asked a little worriedly.

"There's something in my hair! There's something in my hair!" he cried.

"Calm down, it's probably just a hermit crab." Trowa stood and tried to reach for the panicking Irish.

"Crab?!" Duo exclaimed and redoubled his panicked efforts in trying to claw the intruder out of his hair.

"Stop jumping around!" Trowa made a grab for him and wrestled him to the ground. Trowa realised then that Duo was a lot stronger than he looked. Eventually, he managed to get the Irish youth subdued by straddling him, face down, as he carefully searched for the invading entity.

"Get it out! Get it out!!"

"Will you just calm down?" Trowa said, with exasperation as he weeded the offending little crab out. The poor thing was probably just as startled as the Irish. Gingerly, he untangled the long brown locks out of those tiny legs and set the crab free.

"There," he whispered soothingly, "All done."

"You sure?"

"Yes, I'm sure." Trowa smiled and rolled off the Irish youth.

"That was not a pleasant sensation!" Duo grimaced as he sat up and ran his reached up to his messy locks to assess the damage. 

Trowa could not help but chuckle.

"It's not funny." Duo pouted.

"Maybe not but you're looking quite adorable."

"Adorable?!" the Irish youth cried indignantly, eliciting another chuckle from Trowa. "I was going to reward you for coming to my rescue again but I don't think you deserve it for the insult you just delivered."

"I would've thought that would be a compliment."

Duo scowled at him but said nothing. Instead he reached for the end of his braid and pulled off the leather thong at the end. Trowa watched, enthralled, as Duo began working deftly to undo his braid. 

Free if its confinements, lustrous chocolate spilled over bare back like a graceful waterfall. With each flick of his fingers, more and more wavy tresses came loose and Trowa resisted the urge to run his fingers through them.

"Ach, it's going to take me hours to get them knots out," Duo muttered to himself but Trowa never misses an opportunity.

"Let me help." He said rising to kneel behind the Irish youth, catching a glimpse of Duo's eager smile.

"Thanks."

Trowa began combing out the tresses, savouring the texture and weight of the silky hair. As he ran his fingers through the tresses, he could almost feel Duo melting into this touch. He briefly wondered if he was the one that was eliciting such satisfied purring from the Irish, or if Duo merely liked having his hair played with. Whatever the reason, he was going to make the most out of it.

After a few minutes, Trowa realised that he wasn't making much progress. "The seawater and sand in your hair is causing some hindrance."

"Don't worry about it, then." Duo replied; a tinge of disappointment marred his voice. "I can do this myself."

"I said I'd help," Trowa repeated. "Why don't we return to the bungalow to wash this all off then we'll work on it?"

"It sounds like an invitation I shouldn't refuse."

They rose and made their way around the outcrop again. As they strolled back to the hotel, Trowa brazenly reached out to take Duo's hand. Emoting was not something he did often, but the Irish put him so at ease, expressing his feelings felt right.

A radiant smile lit Duo's face. He cheekily asked, "Are you always this friendly to your guests?"

"Only to those who put themselves on the line to save my sister from lecherous captains."

"Saving damsels in distress is the duty of the swashbuckler." Duo laughed. 

They continued the rest of the way in companionable silence. Catherine had already gone to bed when they arrived back at the bungalow. Trowa headed to directly the outhouse. He knew that Catherine would tan their hides if they tracked sand and seawater through the bungalow. The whole purpose of the outhouse was for them to get clean without bringing half the beach into the bungalow.

The room was small and cosy, equipped with every facility for a lavish and indulgent bath. The steam radiating from the tub filled it rather quickly. There was a fragrant scent of violet and rose that lent a feeling of calm and sensuality to it.

Perhaps for the first time, Trowa was thankful for the myriad bottles of scented oils and petals that Catherine had kept in the outhouse. He must remember to thank her, and replace what he had used as well.

Trowa tested the water. Satisfied that it wouldn't broil them alive, then exited the room in search of Duo. 

He found Duo just outside the outhouse dusting off as much sand off himself as possible. Trowa chuckled at his valiant attempt. Approaching the Irish, Trowa cupped his chin gently and brushed his thumb over alluring lips, whispering, "You missed a spot."

Duo shivered, his eyes reflecting a childlike surprise and anticipation. When amethyst locked malachite, Trowa no longer questioned if the attraction was there; he was certain it was.

Mesmerised by the stunning Irish, he was only dimly aware of Duo snaking his arms around, pulling him closer. Trowa leaned eagerly into the embrace and fused their lips together.

Every inch of his skin flared with a prickling sensation as Duo plundered his mouth, seemingly determined to glean every secret it might hold. Breathlessness was the only reason that prompted them to disengage.

"Your eyes are incredible," Duo whispered, "Verde..."

Trowa smiled at the compliment appreciatively then murmured suggestively, "The water's getting cold. Shall we?"

Mutely, Duo nodded with a captivating smile and followed Trowa into the outhouse.

~*~

**The Portuguese Colony of Macao  
One month later**

The Macanese stargazer sat upon the pale fine sand of Boa Vista's private beach; looking out into the crystalline waters instead of the dark velvety canvas above; looking out into the murky waters, in vain hope that he might summon the Irish seafarer back to his sleepy colony.

Even as he hoped that Duo might, Trowa knew Duo would no more return to him than he would venture into the high seas.

The past month had been nothing short of glorious. He had found a kindred spirit - one that understood him; one that made him feel good about himself; one that made his days passed more contentedly, happier. He did not want to stop the remarkable emotions that Duo evoked in him; he did not want to lose the intimate companionship he shared with the beautiful Irish.

Thus, he selfishly asked Duo to stay, not really considering what the Irish had wanted in life; never once questioning if he wanted Duo because he loved him or because he was simply afraid. 

Perhaps it was he who had prompted Duo to leave without word.

Whatever the reason, Trowa was determined not to have regrets. He would not sully the memory of their affair with bitter and wistful thoughts. He would savour each moment they had shared. 

If nothing else, Duo had given him an invaluable education that he would have wanted to learn from no one else. For that he would always remember the Irish with fondness. 

~Fin~


End file.
